Past Loves
by Embyr
Summary: IT'S HERE!! The Third Chapter! Will Folken survive the night without discovering anything? ~warning it's short 0-o~ R&R, even Flames are welcome!
1. Meeting Unknown Love and the Havoc that ...

Past Loves

Past Loves

Prologue to The Pearl

AN: Alright, here I go, embarking on a journey to tell all of you about Folken and Embyr's past. How they met, how they fell in love, and a more detailed ending when Folken leaves to go kill the dragon. I'm only posting chapter by chapter since only one person told me I should do this prologue (by the way, thanks a bunch! ^_^) so, I would like at least 5 reviews per chapter. Standard disclaimers applied. Own none, claim none, sue none, thanks a bunch. Enjoy!

P.S- You might want to read this before the Pearl (duh) even though I came out with the Pearl first..~rubs the back of her head and coughs~

Meeting of Unknown Love and the Havoc that Follows

I sat in a chair by the window, watching the rain pour down. Mother was reading Van a story by the fireplace, in the common room. I smiled as Van yawned, then protested to Mother that he wasn't tired at all. Just then, there was a knock on the door. A maid poked her head in.

" Excuse me, your majesties. A stranger showed up at the castle gates and we're not sure whether we should let them in or not. The person is just standing at the door, not knocking or anything." I got up out of my chair.

" I'll come with you to see who it is. I'll be back in a moment, Mother." Saying that, I followed the maid to the front doors.

Opening the doors, I saw a figure in a brown cloak with a hooded face standing in the rain. It seemed like the person was just…watching us.

" You there! Come inside out of the rain, you'll catch a cold just standing there!" The figure seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded and walked through the doors.

" Come, follow me. I'll introduce you to Mother in the common room, alright?" Again, the figure nodded. He sure was silent. It was a little unnerving, having nothing but silence following you all the way back to the common room.

" Mother, I brought the guest here to introduce you to him. He hasn't told me his name yet." Mother got up and curtsied.

" Hello, my name is Varie. Come, sit by the fire, you must be soaked to the bone and freezing!" She ushered this stranger into a chair, and again, the figure nodded.

" I'll call for a servant to arrange a room for you to stay in," Mother said as she reached for a bell.

" No, that's alright. As soon as I dry off I'll be leaving. Thank you for your hospitality." My eyes widened at the voice, and the traveler pushed back the hood to reveal long brown hair hanging in wet strands to the traveler's shoulders. It was a girl!

" My name is Embyr, by the way," the girl paused, smirking slightly, "and I think I've just about given your son a heart attack, by the looks of it." She laughed quietly. Bowing low, I quickly apologized.

" Please forgive me, in the rain I couldn't tell…I mean…" I just trailed off, face flaming as she continued to laugh.

" Forget it, it's happened before." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then tried to stifle a yawn.

" Excuse me lady, why did you come to Fanelia?" Embyr looked down and smiled at Van, who was tugging at her cloak.

" Van, that's not very polite of you to ask questions. Can't you see she's tired?" Mother went over and picked him up.

" Oh, I don't mind. I was walking down a road, and I seem to have gotten lost." Embyr stood up, smoothing out her dress, which was also drenched.

" Well, I should be going now. Thank you for letting me warm up." Embyr started for the door, but Mother spoke up.

" Nonsense, it's pouring outside! At least stay until tomorrow morning, longer if you'd like." Mother summoned a servant before Embyr could object.

" Please show this young girl to one of the spare bedroom suites please. She'll be our guest for a while." The maid nodded and motioned for Embyr to follow her. She turned to Mother and bowed.

" Again, I thank you." Smiling again, she turned and left the room.

1 month later

" Come on, where are you…." I mumbled as I searched through every drawer in my room, then finally gave up, sighing in frustration.

" What are you looking for, Folken?" Great. My day just got even better. Embyr decided to come and make my life miserable. The past month, Mother persuaded her to stay at the castle, and we haven't been getting along to well. Most of our conversations ended up in screaming matches or wrestling tournaments. I usually beat her in the wrestling matches because I was stronger than she was, but nobody in the castle could scream as loud as she did.

" My blue shirt. I could have sworn I put it in here…." The biggest reason for my annoyance was that the shirt was my favorite, and I was currently wearing only leggings. Just then Embyr giggled, and I frowned, turning to see her holding a rumpled piece of blue cloth.

" You mean this one?" She grinned again as I lunged for her.

" Give it back!" She dodged me, running down the hall. Muttering a curse, I followed. Many of the women in the court didn't approve of Embyr's apparel. She insisted on wearing pants and apparently abhorred dresses unless they were absolutely necessary. She was somewhat of a tomboy. Now she was skidding past a startled guard, mock-saluting him as she scrambled around the corner. I chased after her, shouting a quick apology to the guard. For some reason, the guard just grinned secretively. Skidding across the hall, I tried to get my grip on the marble floor, but I was in bare feet and I slammed into a small table. When I got up I noticed that Embyr was now walking quite calmly past a door that opened to Mothers face, looking a little annoyed.

" Hello Embyr, how are you?" Embyr smiled.

" Fine thank you," she replied, and kept on walking serenely down the hall, having dropped the shirt in conflict on the floor a while back.

" Folken, what are you doing on the floor? You should know better than that! And wearing only your pants, what are you thinking?" My eyes narrowed as I heard a faint snicker. Sighing, I picked myself off of the floor.

" Yes mother, I'm sorry." I walked over to my shirt, picked it up and put it on. Sometimes it was better to just apologize than argue with Mother. She always seemed to side with Embyr, anyway. Turning the corner of the hallway, I crashed into Embyr.

" What do you want now?" I rubbed my back, where I fell.

" You promised. Don't tell me you didn't forget!" She placed her hands on her hips and glared at me. Rolling my eyes, I replied.

" Do you expect me to teach you how to ride a horse after that little episode back there?" Her eyes narrowed to tiny slits, and I gulped. Wrong answer. I tensed, waiting for the blows that were sure to come. Instead, she just sighed.

" You're right, I guess. I apologize," she said dejectedly. Hanging her head slightly, she slowly turned and started to walk away. My stomach did a painful wrench at her expression, and I put a hand on her shoulder.

" I'm sorry. I did promise, so I'll teach you…even after that." I groaned inwardly as she turned, all traces of sadness gone from her face.

" I can't believe you fell for that! Who'd have thought somebody would still go for that old trick!" She started laughing uncontrollably as I stewed silently. Just then Mother showed up again.

" Embyr, I know that Folken had promised to teach you how to ride a horse today, but I have a small event planned, and I would like you to come with me to the dressmakers for the afternoon, if you don't mind. I'd ask another courtier, but all of the other women seem to want to chatter endlessly about a certain fabric or mindless topics like that, and I'd prefer normal conversation much better." Embyr brightened up.

" Sure, I'm ready when you are Varie." Embyr and Mother seemed to click when she showed up a month earlier, and they'd become almost like sisters. I was a little envious of their closeness, to be honest. I didn't mind all that much though. After father died, Mother didn't talk to many people. When Embyr showed up she seemed to brighten considerably. I was glad that Embyr came, in a sense. If only for that reason.

" Folken, could you watch Van while we're gone? We shouldn't be more than a couple hours." Nodding, I walked out a door in the hallway to a small courtyard. Van was sitting under a tree, talking with his cat-girl friend, Merle. Smiling, I went over and sat beside them.

" Hi brother! What are you doing?" Van looked up at me and smiled. Merle got called away to help with something, so that left us alone to talk.

" Nothing really. Embyr just got me in trouble again." I sighed. Van giggled. Embyr had managed to sway him over to her side as well. Seeing as she babysat him a few times, she was now his favorite non-family person besides Merle.

" Why do you two fight so much?" Our fighting between us had always been a puzzle to Van, although I never really understood why.

" Sometimes two people just don't get along very well, that's all Van. You don't have to worry about it." I ruffled his hair, but he still maintained his puzzled expression.

" But since you like her a lot, why do you argue with her? She likes you too, you know." I started, in a small state of panic.

" What do you mean by that Van? I don't like her, at least…not that way! I know for a fact that she doesn't like me that way either. You must be mistaken." My face flushed a deep red, and Van smiled.

" You two will figure it out eventually, I think." I spent the rest of my afternoon trying to persuade Van that it wasn't going to happen.


	2. Rush for A Present and Arguing

AN: Hi

AN: Hi! I'm sooo sorry I took so long at getting this chapter out, but Fanfiction went and crashed, and I got lazy…eheh, till I saw all those reviews of course! So, enjoy the next chapter! What could Varie be planning that's so important, and will Folken manage to convince Van that he doesn't like Embyr? Or will he be disappointed? Duh duh duuuhhh…~coughs~ sorry.

Disclaimer: Own none, claim none, sue none, thanks a bunch.

" So, how are you and Folken getting along?" I turned to Embyr as we walked down the streets of Fanelia. She grimaced.

" Is it really that bad?" I laughed, and soon she joined in.

" Nah, actually it's fun to bug him. He's just too tense otherwise." She paused, looking thoughtful, then grinned. I'm not sure I wanted to know what she had planned for my eldest son now.

" By the way, Varie, what event is this? I haven't heard anything about it yet." She pushed the door to the tailors open and a bell jingled. Mannequins were scattered about, most wearing gowns, but a few with men's outfits on them. The dressmaker, an old lady, hobbled towards us.

" Oh, just a little party." Little did she know, it was for Embyr that the party was directed at. Varie had this surprise birthday party planned ever since she managed to get Embyr to tell her when the big day took place. Embyr shrugged.

" Bless me, if it isn't our queen and the most recent member of the court." The old lady bowed awkwardly and peered up at us.

" What can I do for you two ladies? Need some dresses for the big event everybody's been talking about?" Embyr nodded, still looking puzzled.

" Since Varie wants to be vague, what is this event for?" The lady chuckled.

" Just a party, I'm sure. Really none of my business." With that, she hobbled over to her counter and took her tape measure, getting to work immediately. I suppressed a chuckle. This wasn't just for Embyr, it was, in a way, for Folken as well. All thoughts were shoved aside as we started planning a dress for Embyr, amidst loud protests.

" I thought this was a dress for you, Varie!" I held her still as she struggled.

" Don't be silly, I already have more dresses than I need. You, however, need one. It's a ball, and so it will be necessary for you to be in proper attire."

" So it's absolutely necessary?" Embyr sighed, knowing the answer.

" Fine. Nothing frilly or anything that has to do with ribbons, alright?" With that, Embyr reluctantly helped us choose fabric and so on. She probably wouldn't admit it, but she started to enjoy herself. In the midst of the making of the dress, I wondered how Folken was getting along back at the palace.

************

" So Van, do you understand now that Embyr and I don't like one another?" I was frazzled, explaining for the twentieth time that I hated Embyr. Van shook his head, and I gave up.

" Brother, you know you like her…." He saw the look on my face and changed the topic.

" What did you get her for her birthday?" I shot a blank look at him. He sighed.

" That's what the party's for, brother. It's her birthday tomorrow." I panicked.

" Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" He giggled. I got up and raced down the hallway. Why didn't he tell me that until now? Did he think I knew? I was going to be in BIG trouble if I didn't get something for her, but what? I didn't know what she liked. I groaned. I'm in trouble. I raced to the stables, tacking up my horse.

" Uh, sir, what's the matter?" A stable boy rushed to help me.

" I need to get a birthday present for Embyr, since my brother was KIND enough to tell me just now that tomorrow is her birthday." The boy smiled. I stopped, looking at him.

" Say, she spends quite a bit of time down here, doesn't she? Do you talk to her?" The stable boy smiled again.

" Yes sir, she's down here almost every day, looking at the horses. I talk to her quite a bit." I couldn't believe my luck.

" So you know what she'd want for her birthday, wouldn't you?" He nodded.

" She loves the horses, sir. I think she'd give her right arm for one. You know how she bugs to you teach her to ride." I started un-tacking my horse.

" Sir?" The boy was puzzled.

" Have we had any foals brought in lately?" The boy laughed.

" Yes sir, now you've got the perfect gift. Varie's mare gave birth to twin foals about a month ago, you remember that? They're old enough to be taught how to have a rider on their backs. I think she'd love one of them as a present." I sighed in relief.

" Thank you, you have no idea how much trouble you've just gotten me out of." With that, I headed back to Van and sat down.

" Brother, don't you have to get her a gift?" I nodded.

" It's all been taken care of." He looked at me suspiciously.

" You didn't send a servant into town to get her something for you, did you?" I looked down at him, then gave him a noogie.

" Nope. I did have some help though. I wonder what Mother is up to?"

************

" Varie, are you sure about this??" Embyr peered into the bag as we headed back to the castle.

" Yes Embyr, don' t worry. You know how to dance, and everything will go fine." I reassured her for the fifth time. I could understand her worries though. Even though she had been in Fanelia for a long time, we were having guests from around Gaia, and nobody knew her. Hopefully she would be asked to dance at least once. With all the young nobles coming, however, I don't think she needs to worry. Embyr yawned, walking through the castle gates.

" Man, tailoring a dress really wears you out. How do you do it Varie?" She smiled.

" Lots and lots of practice." We laughed as we walked down the hallway to the main courtyard, Van's favorite place to go when he was outside. Glancing sideways, I saw Embyr's face soften when she saw Van, then go slightly tense when she saw that Folken was with him. What was I going to do with those two, I thought to myself smilingly.

" Hello Van!" Embyr walked forward and set her bag down to pick him up.

" Hi Embyr. How was your shopping trip?" Van looked down at the bag.

" Fine." She looked a little miffed for a moment, then smiled.

" So what have you been up to today young man? Laying around here all day, if I'm correct." He laughed.

" Right again, Embyr. Except I was talking with Folken a lot. He just doesn't seem to get something I've been trying to tell him about all day." I looked at Folken, an eyebrow raised. He was flushed, and looked like he desperately wanted to silence Van.

" Oh? Well, it doesn't really matter what it's about, he doesn't have a big enough brain to understand the simplest of things anyway." She laughed, knowing she had won that argument before it even started. Folken frowned. Bending down, she picked up the bag, Van in one arm.

" Hey Embyr, can you come and read me a story tonight? I'd really appreciate it." She nodded.

" Of course. What story will it be tonight?" Van shook his head.

" I want you to read it with Folken, so that you can do different parts of the story. It's hard to imagine a king slaying a dragon when he sounds like a girl." She laughed. Folken frowned deeper. My youngest son was up to something, I was sure of it.

" Well sir? Do you agree to your brothers request or are you going to fail in your duties as a gentleman and help a lady in distress?" He glared at her, then nodded.

" Very well. Although the only lady I see here is Mother." She stuck her tongue out, then walked with Van to his room. As soon as they both left, I started laughing. Those two…I shook my head, still grinning. Tomorrow night was definitely going to be interesting, that's for sure.

AN: HAH! Cliffhanger, duh duh duuuuuhhhh. Anyway, if you want me to continue I'm gonna ask for 5 reviews please ^_^ So that should equal 10, but I don't have 5 reviews for the first chapter, so it'll be less L 


	3. Happy Birthday!!

AN: I'M ALLIIIVVEEE!!!! Sorry about the long wait for the fourth chapter of Past Loves, I lost the disk that I had the first 3 chapters saved on -_- Plus I only have 4 reviews..~sniffle~ when I should have 10..but I'm a wuss so oh well. I don't own any of the Escaflowne chars, although I DO own Embyr so nyah! Enjoy the story, and pplleease review? Arigatou minna-san!  
  
  
  
Embyr smoothed out her dress nervously as she waited for a maid to tell her when she was to go into the ballroom. It was a light blue, in a halter-top style with no sleeves, in a crushed velvet material. It fell to the ground, it's hemline whispering against the stone floor whenever she moved. A train of sheer fabric in the same color started at the top of her dress and fell to the floor in folds, two ends stretched to her fingertips. She sighed, running a hand through her hair. She really wasn't looking forward to tonight.  
  
" Oh, the things I get myself into," she muttered under her breath, fiddling with a hair clip on the other side of her head. After trying to readjust it for several minutes, she gave an exasperated sigh and pulled it out, letting the section of hair pinned up fall around her shoulders. Just then the maid knocked on the door.  
  
" Miss, it's time for the ball, the guests have all arrived." Embyr heaved a quiet sigh, opening the door and following the maid. 'Maybe I can find a way to bug Folken without wrecking Varie's party,' she thought dispiritedly to herself. But right now, not even that held any interest. Suppressing another sigh, she walked slowly into the ballroom as a guard announced her. She blushed self-consciously when a murmur swept through the crowd and she felt many pairs of eyes on her. She suppressed a giggle as she saw the nobles stare at her with glazed expressions. 'Maybe tonight WILL be fun after all,' she thought to herself, smiling slightly. But first, she had to find Varie.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
I stood with Van, looking around. Balls never really interested me much, so I usually tried to avoid them. However, since this was Embyr's birthday, my mother 'insisted' that I go. Which meant I was dragged here. I sighed, looking around. Mother walked over.  
  
" Is everything alright Folken? You look like you're going to fall asleep," she said, smiling. She knew how bored I was, I don't even know why she bothered asking.  
  
" Oh lighten up, things are bound to get interesting soon enough," she said mysteriously, and then walked off. I watched her go, wondering what she could be talking about. Van tugged on my hand. I looked down at him.  
  
" Brother, can we get something to eat? I'm hungry." I smiled, picked him up, and headed to one of the food tables. Just then a collective murmur swept through the crowds, and Mother was standing by me again.  
  
" Who came in, I wonder?" I thought out loud, putting Van down. Just then, a girl stopped in front of us. I swear my heart rate sped up and my stomach did acrobatics in my stomach. You know in books when they have the hero meet a girl and they say that he can see nothing else, and the girl seems to be surrounded by soft light? Well, I can sympathize with the characters. Most of the girl's hair was up in a bun, but a combed-over section fell in waves by her face. She was beautiful.  
  
" You may close your mouth now sir, I believe that you are drooling," the girl said with a hand to her mouth, trying to hide a smile. I shut my mouth accordingly, staying silent.  
  
"You….you're…." I stammered, trying to get the words to come out. The girl smiled slightly at me.  
  
" Thank you, Lord Folken." She turned to Mother.  
  
" So, I think that I should know who this party is for, seeing as I'm here." She smiled, and I swear the room lit up.  
  
" Why, it's for you, of course," replied Mother. That brought me into focus a little. What did she mean?  
  
" Huh?" The girl blinked. Mother then spoke.  
  
" I would like to propose a toast, everybody!" The room went silent. Things were like that when Mother spoke.  
  
" I would like to toast the woman in front of me, because it's her 16th birthday. Surprise and Happy Birthday, Embyr!" I paled. Then I went cherry red in about 2 seconds. There was a tug on my sleeve. I looked down into Van's face.  
  
" See brother? I told ya." He giggled and I gulped air silently.  
  
" Brother, why is your face a funny color?" I shook my head.  
  
" Later, Van." Oh man, was I ever in for the biggest teasing of my life. Embyr was NEVER gonna let this one go. Speaking of which…I snuck another glance at her. 'Come to think of it, she IS quite pretty- NO! No no no no no!' I panicked. This can't be happening!! I couldn't be….falling for her….could I?!?!?!?! 


End file.
